ER: 20 Years Later.

It was on this date, September 19th, that television would change for the better of medical genre, It was on this date that the world become so addicted to the series "ER" that it paid the way to other great medical shows we see today. 

I think we might know the whole story of "ER" and how it was created. It was written as a film script by the late author Michael Crichton, who wrote Jurassic Park, about his experience as a medical student in an urban emergency hospital. No one picked it up.

It would take 20 years later, that the idea to make it a film was in the works but then got delayed again when director Steven Spielberg and Crichton took a break and Crichton had told him about this book he was working on, which was "Jurassic Park" and soon became the biggest box office hit in 1993. 

This series got shopped around twice to one network, which did pick it up at the second time around, which was NBC. At that time NBC had it's "Must-See-TV" era going and when they read and saw the pilot they didn't know what to think of it at all, too graphic, intensest, a lot of stories in one hour and the question will the audience get it. 

Apparently so, the pilot was a two hour movie, which premiered on Monday night against Monday Night Football, which the show did really well and then soon put it on the historical Thursday night where both "Hill Street Blues" and "LA Law" held that spot. Thursday night came and it beat out it's rival over at CBS "Chicago Hope," which critics gave high praise about it and predicting that it will be out ER in ratings. 

I guess they were wrong. 

This show got recognized quick and with these unknown actors at the time, which become big stars now. Noah Wyle, Juilianna Margulies, Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfeld, Eriq La Salle and one actor by the name of George Clooney. They got their big break.

The series was a major hit. In fact, it grew to be the #1 new drama but also the #2 series of the season behind "Seinfeld." The shoe literally grew audience higher than "American Idol," "The Big Bang Theory," and "NCIS."   And in fact that network television will never see those kinds of ratings again unless it's a sporting event.

This is the series that changed the format of what medical shows are today. Telling stories about the cases, the characters of both the patients and doctors and most of everything relied on the writing, which made the show a huge it. That and the fact the Clooney was literally the best damn looking child doctor in the history of television.

The show lasted for 15 years and still made Thursday night Must See TV til the end of it's run. The show kept true to the medicine. A lot of real doctors and nurses could not watch it because they would say it resembles of their job too much.

If I had to sum up 10 episodes that define ER it would have to be in this order:

"On The Beach" episode

10. Kisangani, season 9, episode 22
9. Time of Death, Season 11, episode 6
8. All In the Family, Season 6, episode 14
7. And In The End, Season 15, episode 22
6. Blizzard, Season 1, episode 10
5. Hell and high Water, Season 2, episode 7
4.Take These Broken Wings, Season 2, episode 21
3. Pilot, Season 1, episode 1
2.On The Beach, Season 8, episode 21
1. Love's Labor Lost, Season 1, episode 19

If you watched these episodes, these episodes define what "ER" was and is in it's own way legendary.

It help influenced other medical dramas like "House" and "Royal Pains" not to mention "The Night Shift."

Personally this is my all time favorite series. No other show will top this series in my opinion. I grew up watching it since I was a little kid. At that time, it was my grandma, mom and I that watched it together. It kind of stopped around the time my brothers came into the picture but that's okay we did watch it separate homes. And when the series ended it was still as what it use to be, my grandma, my mom and me watched it while my brothers were with my grandfather. And oh yeah, it was the series finale, there were tears coming and going that night.


Amazing that "ER" premiered 20 years ago. Time does fly by so fast. In a couple of days it will be "Friends" anniversary too.

"ER" gave us so much. It gave us inspiration to be doctors and nurses, it gave us the drama and entertainment that we have never seen before and made us tune in week after week after week. It really did shape the way we watch television along with "Hill Street Blues."

There's no way to sum up the series. It was just simply a legendary series all on it own.
Happy 20th Anniversary ER!!!!